What I would like to know is isn’t the walk the most expensive property to rent in Coral Springs? Mythos was paying 23 thousand dollars a month for rent. What is the city going to pay and are they going to sell the the land after they demolish the building? There was such big hype over downtown Coral Springs that there was no way in hell that this developer should have been allowed to do anything until that project is finished. A huge big empty building sitting on the corner of sample. just look around what is happening to the city there’s no place to go anymore nothing to do the mall has become disgusting the walk the element there is better to stay home the sports leagues are out of control with no one governing them. I always thought if there were city sports the city was supposed to govern them. I have called City Hall before to speak to somebody about the football league and I was told they have no control over it. – A.G.

Coral Springs Fl: December 16, 2013: The city commissioners voted to sign a $1,000,000 4 year lease with a local developer without going out for bid. They are going to move the building and community development department from its current location on Sample Road to new luxury office space. The city wants to demolish the current building to make way for the new city hall – even though 1) plans are not finished 2) no money yet raised to build it and 3) will not be built on the land the building they are demolishing is located. In other words, they did not have to do this – but they did – without going for tender. The whole thing does not pass the smell test. It stinks.

The Smell Test is what every politician uses to make sure they are not in a position where anyone would think they have compromised themselves to the point that they fouled or that they have a stench or odor not becoming of a person in elected office.

With respect to the lease that the commissioners voted on without out bid, the building owner is the same company that promised to develop Downtown Coral Springs, and never completed it. They are not the only owner of office space in this city. However, as a result of this lucrative lease , now is the only owner who has less vacant space than any of the other buildings.

The city commissioners and city manager all said that this was in our best interest. They said they chose this location was because the employees liked it, it is right above Burger-Fi and this is the only luxurious office space that is contiguous ( except for a bridge that connects two spaces ) in this city. Last, to convince all of us, the city commissioners, one after the other, praised the city manager and staff for a ‘Job Well Done’. In a ‘matter of fact’ manner they of course mentioned how good this is for the citizens They voted 5-0.

The lease is not the only example of single sourcing for our city commission. The same day the city commissioners with a vote of 5-0 :

1. gave out a contract for $105,000 to Bennett Auto Supply, without bid,

2. amended an existing contract increasing it to $99,728 without bid.

3. Gave away $80,956 to HDR engineering , waiving the competitive procurement process to do a Commercial Recycling Feasibility Study, go figure , after they threw out Southern Sanitation to create the havoc with our trash pickup. (The winner is of course donating campaign contributions to candidates that voted for them ).

4. Without bid, they renewed a contract to supply $1,298,427 worth of diesel fuel and unleaded gasoline .

Bidding Keeps Government Honest and Spends the Taxpayers Money Wisely

The current commissioners and city manager have a policy of giving out contracts without tender, and does not pass the “Smell Test”. Even though everyone may have good intentions, the method they are using stinks. History has shown us that going out for tender on contracts is the only way to guarantee the citizens that their money is not being wastefully spent. That is why almost every government goes out for bid to remove any possibility that the citizens it serves would even think that there is corruption or payoffs or favoritism in their decision making process.

I am not accusing any of the current commissioners of anything other than poor judgment in not going out for tender on this lease or any other procurement for the city. However other citizens may be asking other questions. It’s the smell test that needed to be passed – Government rarely give out contracts to a single source.

For example, there is no good reason why they could not have gone out for bid on this lease. With other developers in town owning office spaces and empty buildings, asking for a price from everyone would have made this more competitive and honest. The new landlord to the city would have been one of the those people that would have made a proposal and bid it as well. In the end the city could have done their same due diligence, ruled out any other building except for his. However, doing a bid, might have forced the new landlord to lower his price or perhaps not. The city may have found better space. ANY developer would have gladly given a 4 year least to the city at a reduced cost even to pay for the expenses on their empty space. So why did the city commission and the city manager do what they did?

It could simply be a matter of laziness or it could be a matter of pomposity, and too much power going to everyone’s head or it can be construed as favoritism. It could also simply be a lack of judgment since most of the city commissioners do not have any real experience in matters concerning the bid process and what is really needed for oversight. They could have asked the city manager to go out for bid.

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